This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
Make an Air Fryer Sweet Potato and you’ll never use the oven again! They’re tender and fluffy, but ready in half the time. Add hot honey butter on top to jazz it up or use your own favorite toppings.
Table of Contents
Sweet potatoes in the air fryer are MAGIC. In the oven, they can take an hour, and sometimes even longer if you want to get them to that fabulous ultra-sweet, melt-in-your-mouth-tender place. But the air fryer gets it done in just 25 minutes for an average size sweet potato. Sorcery! And no wasted time waiting for the oven to heat up either, since the air fryer preheats fast.
All that’s left to do is top your air fryer sweet potato and I’ve got the best topping ever—hot honey butter. It amps up the natural sweetness of the sweet potato, plus adds a little heat to keep things interesting. But of course, you can add any toppings you like. Go wild!
Ingredients for Air Fryer Sweet Potato with Hot Honey Butter
Here’s a quick rundown of what you’ll need for this recipe. For the full measurements, scroll down to the recipe card.
- Sweet Potatoes – You can make any kind of sweet potato in the air fryer, from the funky purple ones to classic garnets.
- Olive Oil – For a crispy skin. If you don’t plan on eating the skin, you can skip it.
- Kosher Salt – To season the skin. Again, you can skip this if you don’t eat the sweet potato skin.
For the Butter:
- Butter – You can use salted or unsalted. If you use salted butter, you can add less additional salt.
- Honey – If you happen to have a bottle of hot honey on hand, you can use that in place of the honey and cayenne.
- Cayenne Pepper – Feel free to adjust the amount to your liking.
- Kosher Salt – Sea salt can be used instead if you prefer it.
How to Make an Air Fryer Sweet Potato
Scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the page for full printable instructions.
- Prepare. Wash and scrub the potatoes, then pat them dry. Poke holes in each potato with a fork to release steam and rub them with olive oil. Season with salt.
- Air fry. Place the potatoes in the basket of an air fryer preheated to 400ºF. Don’t crowd them! Cook for 25 minutes, flipping halfway through.
- Check. Pierce the sweet potatoes with a fork. If they’re not tender, cook for 4 to 5 minutes more.
- Make the hot honey butter. Mix the butter, honey, cayenne, and salt.
- Serve. Top the sweet potatoes with the butter and a sprinkle of sea salt.
Tips for Cooking Sweet Potatoes in the Air Fryer
Cooking sweet potatoes in the air fryer is a simple, but here are a few additional pointers!
- Use potatoes that are roughly the same size. Different sizes and shapes of potatoes will take different amounts of time to cook, so using similar sweet potatoes means they’ll both be done at the same time.
- Pierce the skin before cooking. Sweet potatoes have a high moisture content, which can cause them to burst open during cooking if not pierced. Use a fork to poke holes all over the potato’s skin, which will allow steam to escape.
- Preheat your air fryer. Just like with traditional oven baking, preheating your air fryer will help ensure even cooking.
- Make sure the butter is softened. This will make it easier to mix in the rest of the ingredients!
More Topping Ideas
Not feeling the hot honey butter? Want something more traditional? Or maybe something a little more “out there”? Here are a few additional ideas!
- Cheese and herbs. Sprinkle shredded cheddar, Parmesan, or feta cheese over your potatoes, then top with fresh herbs like parsley, chives, or rosemary.
- Garlic butter. Make my Easy Garlic Butter Sauce and drizzle that over the top.
- Classic loaded potato. Top your potatoes with dollops of sour cream, crispy bacon bits, and a sprinkle of green onions for a traditional loaded potato experience.
- Black beans and salsa. Go Tex-Mex and add black beans, cotija or Monterey Jack, and salsa. A drizzle of crema is delicious too!
- Peanut sauce. Top your potato with Peanut Sauce and steamed broccoli.
How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
Place leftover air fryer sweet potatoes in an airtight container or tightly wrap them in aluminum foil or plastic wrap. Stored in the refrigerator, they can last up to 5 days. You can eat them cold or room temperature, warm them them in the microwave, or reheat them in the air fryer to restore their crispiness.
What to Serve With Air Fryer Sweet Potatoes
More Sweet Potato Recipes
For more easy air fryer recipes, follow us on Instagram and Facebook!
Air Fryer Sweet Potato Recipe
Equipment
- 1 air fryer
Ingredients
- 2 medium sweet potatoes
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
For the butter
- ¼ cup butter, softened
- 1 tablespoon honey
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Wash and scrub the potatoes to remove any dirt. Pat dry with a paper towel.
- Using a fork, poke several holes over each sweet potato. This allows them to cook evenly, release steam and bake up fluffy.
- Coat the outside of each sweet potato with olive oil and season with kosher salt.
- Preheat the air fryer to 400˚F.
- Arrange the sweet potatoes in the air fryer basket being sure to not crowd them.
- Air Fry at 400˚F for 25 minutes turning the potatoes over halfway through the cooking time.
- Check the sweet potatoes for doneness by inserting a fork into the center. If it slides in easily, they are done. If still firm, continue cooking for an additional 4-5 minutes.
- While the sweet potatoes are cooking, make the butter by combining the butter, honey, cayenne pepper and salt until smooth.
- Serve the sweet potatoes with the butter and a sprinkle of course sea salt.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
